Fading Light, Rising Darkness
by Bloody Incubus
Summary: How much more can a hero endure before he succumbs to the Darkness within? Rav/Rob
1. Chapter 1

Hello Everyone.

For those who have stuck by me through my story Apocalypse, I can't thank you enough for your reviews. However, as time went on all inspiration for that story went away so I decided to get rid of it. Now that I have found a new inspiration for another story I wish to share it with you. I hope you enjoy this new tale for which I surely hope to finish.

Enjoy.

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She didn't know when it happened.

She didn't know how it happened.

All she knew was that with every passing night, every waking hour, the fearless bird that led them into battle, was no longer the bird she knew.

She could FEEL it.

It amazed her how her own teammates could turn a blind eye to the one that kept them united. But then she realized, the fearless leader was as meticulous in hiding the small changes that arose her suspicions as well as he planned and executed every tactic used in battle.

She surprised herself at times when she would catch herself staring at Robin's form for more than a few minutes at any given time. Of course the ice queen could make a witty retort to his suspicions…but it never happened. Robin remained a closed door. He ate silently. Lounged alone. Trained alone. Withdrew to his room more often than before.

He was beginning to make Raven feel like the more socially active teammate compared to him.

That annoyed her.

After almost 2 months of Robin playing the recluse of the team she had enough. She was going to confront him one way or another.

It was late in the evening. Raven had managed to turn in early on a hunch. Given her observation of the Boy Wonder something told her she would be able to catch him off guard in the middle of the night. Sure enough after rubbing her eyes from the sleep dust that had accumulated, Raven began her mantra, sending her soul self outwards. She sensed everyone asleep in their quarters except for the lonely bird.

She frowned.

She should have been able to sense him. She focused harder and still nothing. After about 10 minutes Raven opened her eyes.

Whatever training Robin had to hide his aura from psychics had paid off.

With some reluctance, Raven stepped off of her bed, phasing through the floor until she landed in the kitchen. She could hear the sounds of thunder in the distance and the sounds of small drops hitting the large panel windows. She sighed inwardly. She had always loved the rain and now when she could be drifting off to dreamland with the sounds of nature at it's finest she was stuck with satisfying her curiosity.

She was about to teleport to her room when she caught a glimpse of the Boy Wonder's form, standing out in front of the large panel window as lightning flashed, silhouetting his form.

The sight unnerved her. Just how long had he been there?

Raven took notice with each flash of lightning the Boy Wonder's features. He was dressed only in matching black sweatpants and a wifebeater. His muscles tensed with each flash of lightning before relaxing with the relapse into darkness. Raven could feel her blush creeping on her but managed to will it away.

She continued to stare at him before something startled her. A flash of lightning had illuminated the Boy Wonder's face, making him appear more sinister as the contrast between light and darkness was cast upon him. But what made her startle was that for a split second she saw a different face reflected on the glass. It had Robin's face but the reflection's hair was longer, as black as the night sky on a winter's night. It's eyes an unholy golden color with its pupils slit like that of a serpent. It was Robin and yet It wasn't him.

Raven pulled back into the kitchen her back against the wall. Her breathing had hitched slightly at the sight. That shocked her further. She didn't do fear. She was a Titan. Titans dealt with monsters on a weekly basis. Why had seeing her leader invoked such a reaction?

Raven calmed herself after a few breaths and peeked out from behind the wall. Lightning flashed once more but Robin was nowhere to be seen. Raven walked into the room sending her senses out to detect any remnant of the leader who had somehow vanished.

There was nothing. She only sensed herself.

Raven stood in silence watching the shadows bounce off of the furniture with every flash of light, frowning.

"…what is going on?"

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She was tired and she needed rest. Raven scanned the room once more before taking the form of a black bird of shadow and flying through the ceiling to her quarters.

She failed to notice a pair of golden yellow eyes staring at her from the darkness.

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I hope that's enough to get you interested.

Let me know what you think .

Thanks for Reading.


	2. Chapter 2

Here is the second chapter. Many thanks to those who reviewed.

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Over the next few weeks Raven had avoided all contact with the Boy Wonder.

For the time being it seemed that Raven had reclaimed her spot as the antisocial of the group. Robin continued with his briefings on training, missions, and the like and was out of his room joining the company of his fellow teammates.

Still, Raven couldn't help but feel her blood run cold whenever the Boy Wonder walked past her. Whatever she had seen that night stuck with her. Instead of seeing the white panels of the Boy wonder's mask she saw 2 unholy yellow eyes staring right back her.

She had avoided eye contact for almost 4 weeks and counting.

This however did not deter her from noticing a few other things about her leader which didn't go unnoticed by her other teammates as well.

Robin's hair had gotten longer in a short span of a few weeks and it seemed he had no intention of cutting it. His training sessions lasted longer than the rest. Instead of the standard 3-4 hour sessions each titan was obligated to do, Robin's lasted for 6-8 hours at a time. Even more unusual was the fact that his skin had started to take on a slightly more pale color. Instead of sharing in on jokes or contributing to conversations, he barely uttered 3 sentences at a time. He ate silently and excused himself immediately after meals.

As Raven contemplated all of this the alarm sounded.

"Yo!" yelled out Cyborg over the intercom, "Cinderblock is attacking the chemical plant near the harbor! All titans report on scene immediately!"

Without thinking twice Raven took flight, joining Starfire in the sky while Beastboy and Cyborg took off by land.

The team failed to notice they were one member short.

* * *

Raven and Starfire had arrived on scene, Cyborg and Beastboy arriving a few seconds later.

The team saw Cinderlock smashing his way through a horde of police cars as dozens of Slade Bots took down the cops, allowing Cinderblock to make his way to the chemical plant.

"Dude, aren't we one member short?" Beastboy observed once he stepped out of the car.

To everyone's surprise he was right.

Robin was nowhere in sight.

"Why is Robin not with us? Is he not usually here before us?" asked Starfire.

"we don't have time to worry about Robin, he'll get here when he gets here. Right now we have to take care of Cinderblock!" responded Cyborg as he formed his sonic cannon. "alright Titans, LETS GO!"

The Titans converged on the scene quickly, dispatching Slade bots along the way before making their way towards Cinderblock.

As Raven managed to knock out the last 2 Slade bots, Cyborg made a beeline towards Cinderblock, his cannon blasting away at the creature. Beastboy in the form of a giant elephant had tried to tackle the behemoth only to be picked up by his trunk and swung like a sack before being released, crashing into Cyborg in the process. Starfire, at this time had started firing bolts upon bolts of green energy while Raven wielded 2 demolished cop cars at the behemoth. Cinderblock easily swiped away the cop cars before grabbing one and swinging it, crashing it against Starfire and sending her hurtling towards Raven.

Raven had managed to surround her friend in a black aura breaking her fall before Cinderblock trapped Raven, its hands slowly crushing the young Titan.

Raven gritted her teeth as she tried to focus her energies but with the air being squeezed out of her she was starting to get light-headed. Just as Raven was on the verge of passing out a red and black birdarang had pierced Cinderblock's hand. The Birdarang beeped loudly before exploding, the blast crumbling one of it's hands allowing for Raven to slip out.

Before Raven could hit the ground a black figure leapt up and caught her, sliding them both away from Cinderblock as the behemoth howled at it's now missing appendage.

Raven shook herself awake and Saw that it was Robin who had caught her, but her eyes went wide as she saw what he was wearing. The trademark traffic light uniform of her leader was now replaced by a suit similar to his Red X outfit, only now it was minus a cape and helmet, and instead of a red X marking over his heart he had the crimson form of a robin, whose wings were outstretched, over his chest and down his shoulders. His eye mask was the same but now had sharper edges. Even more so his hair now reached shoulder length and ran down over his eyes.

He looked like a darker version of himself.

Robin set Raven down on the floor his eyes turning to Cinder block. He turned to Raven and said "stay out of my way." Without another word Robin sprang forth towards the cement monster.

Raven stood up as she watched her leader unsheathe two birdarangs from his utility belt. Her eyes widened as the bladed side of the birdarangs doubled in length, turning them into long bladed knives that curved over his fists. Robin continued his sprint, dodging every slade bot that blocked his path. He came before 3 bots, sliding down on his heels dodging an overhead punch, before spinning around the second bot that attempted a kick, before coming face to face with the third.

As the bot struck out sparks flew out of the deep puncture wound on the robots arm as Robins knife pierced through the bot's wrist. Robin spun around the shaking robots from before slicing down the robot's back, cutting through the aluminum skin like a knife through butter, before kicking the robot away to the other two. The bot crashed against it's comrades as a small disc beeped loudly, engulfing all 3 bots in a burst of napalm and shrapnel.

The explosion had caught the attention of the other titans. All of them were shocked at Robin's display of brutality and at the sight of his darker appearance. They watched in morbid fascination and possibly fear as they saw their leader slice and slaughter his way through the hoard, leaving exploding robotic parts in his wake. All were too stunned to move as their leader left body after body of slade bots before finally coming face to face with Cinderblock.

Cyborg was the first to recover from the shock and rallied his other teammates.

"COME ON TITANS! TAKE HIM DOWN!!!"

All titans began attacking Cinderblock from all sides. Raven had managed to recover her telepathic abilities, hurtling crates, drum barrels, steels beams, anything within access that could be used as a projectile. Cyborg fired round after round of his sonic cannon, aiming for the behemoth's legs. Starfire took the upper body with her starbolts and eye beams. Beastboy in the form of a T-Rex rammed the large behemoth, as Robin continued his assault. Cinderblock tried to endure the assault but it even knew it was too much to take on. In a last ditch effort, Cinderblock spun around, throwing the Titans off of him as it made a run for it. As the Titans were about to cheer in their victory they noticed a blur rush past them. They looked in the direction of the blur and saw Robin running at full speed after Cinderblock.

"HEY ROBIN WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" yelled beastboy as he saw his leader running after the behemoth. Before the Titans could go after their leader they stopped dead in their tracks. Time seemed to slow down as they saw Robin catch Cinderblock. He jumped up dodging a downward punch from Cinderblock only to land on the giant's hand, leaping off at that same instant, his body crouched in mid air before bringing down both knives into it's eyes, piercing the entire length of the blades into it's sockets.

They watched in horror as Cinderblock roared in agony, its hands going for it's face to take the blades out. Robin released the blades, leaving them in Cinderblock's sockets before planting both of his feet on the giant's chest, kicking off into a backwards flip away from the behemoth. Before Cinderblocks hands could reach it's face the birdarang blades in it's eyes beeped loudly before Cinderblocks head exploded into thousands of shards of concrete and fire. Robin's face twisted into a smirk as the behemoth fell, headless into a heap on the ground, Robin landing in crouch at that same moment.

The team gathered at the sight in mute shock, watching the silhouette of their leader as he stood to his full height, the flaming body of the now deceased Cinderblock highlighting his features.

"…Robin…what have you done?" Cyborg managed to utter. Robin turned sharply to his teammates, walking towards them before pushing through them and making a beeline towards his R Cycle, which was now colored a bloody Crimson with Black. Robin straddled his bike as he turned to his teammates, eyeing them.

"…you want to ask questions, ask them at the tower"

Before anyone could say anything else Robin spun his cycle out before racing off into the night.

Everyone else shielded their eyes from the dust only to see their leader gone.

They all looked at each other in silent agreement.

They had A LOT to discuss once their leader got back to the tower.

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Hope you enjoyed it. Personally, I think I'm still rusty on the fight scene descriptions and overall story writing. Hopefully I'll improve during my tenure with this story. Any comments are welcome.

Thanks for Reading.


	3. Chapter 3

Here is the next installment.

Enjoy!

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"JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?!!!"

Cyborg's voice rumbled throughout the tower as he continued on his tirade.

"YOU KILLED CINDERBLOCK AND ON TOP OF THAT YOU WERE COMPLETELY RECKLESS!!! WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE A TEAM ROBIN! THIS IS NOT JUST YOUR BATTLE! YOU COULD HAVE EASILY KILLED AN INNOCENT BYSTANDER BACK THERE! WEREN'T YOU THE ONE WHO TAUGHT US ABOUT TACTICS AND HOW TO PERFORM AS A SINGLE UNIT?!!! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!!" he yelled, slamming his fists on the table in frustration as Robin watched silently from across the now dented table.

The other members of the team stood behind Cyborg as they watched the eldest of the team berate their leader. Not even after his tenure as Red X was Robin subjected to this type of verbal punishment. Beastboy and Starfire stood close to each other in fear of both Cyborg's behavior and Robin's impending backlash. Raven stood to the side, not letting her concern for her leader display facially. Even she was slightly shaken by Cyborg's display and even more disturbed by Robin's reaction.

She had remembered the last time they argued. Robin had some choice words to say to Cyborg back then in the warehouse. But now, Robin simply stared back at him, almost through him. His body was not tensed but relaxed as if he seemed uninterested in what was going on.

Raven was brought out of her thoughts at the sound of Cyborg's hands slamming on the table, leaving a very visible dent on its surface.

Cyborg took a few steady breaths as he stood up, his jaw clenched tight. "you leave me no choice Rob but as of now I have to go over your head and relieve you of your position as team leader until you can get your act together." Everyone turned to Cybrog stunned. This was a first for them all. Beastboy, Starfire and even Raven turned to Robin wondering what his response would be.

Robin stared at them in silence, his eyes narrowed and his mouth a thin line. After 5 agonizing minutes he stood up. He reached into the back of his utility belt and with a small thud, tossed the T communicator across the table before landing in front of Cyborg.

"If that's how you feel Cyborg…" he said maliciously, "then consider yourself promoted…permanently." Robin then turned on his heel heading upstairs. Cyborg stood in mute shock, his jaw open. Beastboy's eyes were as wide as saucers. Starfire eyes had begun to form tears as she bit her hand. Even Raven fought back tears under the guise of her mute expression. Starfire sniffled and flew after the Boy Wonder catching his wrist looking up at him.

"Please Robin you can't leave us like this!" she pleaded as she let her tears flow. "please! We need you here…I need you here.." she finished. Everyone else looked expectantly at Robins reaction. They all had the suspicion that Starfire was in love with Robin but now with this admission it was brought out. Raven felt a tinge of jealousy spring up at this admission but remained silent, putting on a poker face. Robin looked at Starfire, his eyes narrowing, his head shaking. "I'm sorry Starfire…but my feelings are not the same."

Everyone was taken back by this statement, even Raven herself. Before Starfire could say another word Robin continued, "I appreciate your honesty, but you are not someone I see myself with. I am not a happy person, I do not find delight in any of the social activities you participate in. I have no feelings beyond friendship for you. Sorry to disappoint you Starfire, but I am not someone who wants the love you have to offer. I want nothing else." He pulled his arm away from her continuing. "I do not love you Starfire. My heart is not yours to claim." With that Robin turned on heel and made his way upstairs.

Starfire fell to her knees, hugging herself as she wept silently. Beastboy and Cyborg went to comfort their friend as Raven watched from a distance. She reflected back on the exchange. She felt no feelings of animosity, or love from her leader. It was genuine. He did not love her. But that was no excuse for the humiliation her friend had to endure. Without thinking, Raven teleported to Robin's room waiting for him, only to find Robin picking up a duffelbag from the top of the bed.

"How dare y-" Raven cut herself off as she took notice of the room. It was empty save for herself, Robin and a duffel bag. All of Robin's personal belongings were gone. Raven looked around to see if there were boxes of his belongings anywhere. Nothing. He had already moved his things. Raven turned to her leader, the shock evident on her face.

"…you planned to leave?"

Robin slung the bag over his shoulder. "you are very perceptive Raven. But we both knew that this would happen eventually…" He began walking towards the door. "what surprises me more though is how you tend to contradict the value system you wanted everyone to respect, privacy being the main one in my case." Raven's eyes widened. He knew. "tell me, does it make you feel awkward when someone decides not to be a "part of the group" ? Does it make you feel vulnerable? Because when I look at you Raven, at this moment, you are no different than someone who has been broken, stripped of all their defenses, to reveal nothing more than flesh underneath."

Robin pushed the button opening the door, stepping past a stunned Raven and out into the hallway, turning to here.

"Regardless of what you think you know Raven, you don't. Stay away and don't look for answers to questions you shouldn't ask."

The door slammed shut between them as Raven stood alone in the room, her mind in complete chaos. Robin knew she was spying on him. He planned to leave the team. He was brutally honest about what he felt for Starfire. He deserted them. But WHY? What was he hiding? Raven clenched her teeth in frustration, opening the door and running out into the hall, trying to feel any presence of her leader. She fanned out her energies all over the tower searching for any sign but there was none.

Her former leader, as skilled as he was, managed to elude her again. Only this time it was permanent.

Raven retreated to her room, sitting at the edge of her bed before lying down, curling up into a ball. Somewhere deep in her heart was now an empty void. Raven shut her eyes trying to will herself asleep, ignoring the faint single tear that cascaded over her cheek.

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Not really proud of this chapter but I wanted to get the drama out of the way as quickly as possible. Things will pick up soon I promise.

As always read and Review.


	4. Chapter 4

Here is the next chapter. As I promised things are picking up.

Enjoy.

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It was a starry night. The moon had shown into the slightest of crescents. Raven levitated on the rooftop in deep meditation for the fifth time that day. It had been almost 1 year since Robin had left the team. Cyborg had continued his nightly pursuit through the local channels to hear any news of the Boy Wonder only to hear the same response each night.

Nothing.

Starfire and Beastboy had become closer during that time and although it was not official, Raven had picked up signs that they were in a relationship. Cyborg took the role of leader but just as Robin was possessed in finding Slade, Cyborg had now been possessed to find his former leader.

Raven herself had also begun her own investigation a few days after Robins departure. While she slept in her physical body, her soul self searched the premises of the city looking for any sign of her leader. She still needed answers. Despite what words Robin had told her, he was still hiding the true purpose for his desertion. Raven stood to her feet sighing in frustration. She couldn't concentrate on her meditation with her former leader on her mind. Raven teleported from the roof to her private bathroom, stripping off her leotard as she telekinetically turned the hot water on.

Raven stood against the smooth tile as the hot water cascaded over her nude form. She sighed deeply as the hot water eased her muscles into relaxation. Slowly, she slid into a sitting position before lying down the length of her tub. Her eyes closed as she let her mind drift into a deep state of relaxation. She fanned out her senses absorbing the sensual feeling of the water running along her skin. It was one of the few moments in her day where she could let herself go into a euphoric state through sensory stimulation.

Raven eased her breathing slipping into a state of relaxation, her mind in a now relaxed, euphoric state, wandering on it's own accord.

*****

She walked aimlessly through the darkness. The ground beneath her feet rippled with every step. Under her feet she saw her reflection in the black pool of water that seemed endless. She looked around her eyes narrowing in suspicion of her surroundings.

Where was she?

Suddenly the ground began to shake. Raven fell to one knee looking into the ground. The entire floor reflected an endless field of opening eyes, each pair an unholy golden color. Raven gasped before taking off into the air, narrowly avoiding a dark tendril pierce the ground where she stood.

Raven flew higher seeing endless fields of eyes opening, staring at her in the sky. Dark tendrils rose from the ground, spiraling into the air. Raven watched in awe as the tendrils resembled a forest sprouting into bloom. Suddenly the tendrils split as golden eyes opened at the tips of each tendril. Raven watched in horror as the eyes soon sprouted mouths filled with rows of razor sharp teeth. A monstrous shriek erupted from the mouths of the serpent like monsters as the lengths of their backs erupted into rows of small, golden lights.

The tendrils shot out after her, Raven narrowly dodging each strike as the serpents tried to rip her apart with their teeth. Raven flew aimlessly barely dodging the attacks before a wall of these serpents erupted in front of her. More tendrils shout out from the ground binding her arms above her head as well as her legs. The heads of the serpents came closer, their tongues slithering out and salivating in anticipation of ripping the flesh. Raven gritted her teeth in a vain attempt to be defiant while on the inside she was terrified. One serpent came close to her, it's tongue slithering out and licking the entire length of her neck and beneath her jaw.

Raven, despite her situation, barely suppressed the moan that threatened to escape.

Before the serpents could deliver the killing blow they stopped, turning sharply behind them, a black light emanating in the distance. The tendrils released Raven, her form falling to the floor as she splashed against the ground. Raven looked up through her wet tendrils of hair to see the serpents slithering towards the light. The closer they approached the more they descended back into the ground, seemingly kneeling in respect and obedience at the form. Raven squinted her eyes and noticed the familiar shape of a man, long dark hair flowing behind him, his body clothed in black.

Raven's eyes widened as she noticed the features of the approaching form. The hair, the outfit, the body. It was Robin!

Before Raven could call to him, Robin raised his hand pointing to her.

"You are not supposed to be here….." he said, his voice emotionless. "Leave this place Raven….forget about me…" Raven yelled out in desperation to her former leader but was cut off as the tendrils shot out from the ground, forming a wall between herself and Robin. She felt the ground beneath her begin to crumble and before she knew it she began to fall. Raven tried to fly but her powers stopped working. She fell deeper into the darkness, the only sound being her screams as she fell deeper into the abyss.

*****

Raven shot up screaming. Her body splashed and flailed, the tub now full of water and spilling it over the side. Raven turned the water off, coughing as she hung over the tub, spitting the water out. Her breath came out in quick breaths. Raven was confused. What the hell had Robin become? What was that dream about? She was interrupted from her thoughts as Cyborg's voice boomed over the intercom.

"ALL TITANS REPORT! THE COMMISSIONER HAS JUST CALLED US! REPORT TO THE METTING AREA IN 5 MINUTES FOR BRIEFING!!!"

Raven growled in frustration, floating a towel to herself. Mopping up the floor would have to wait.

*****

The titans had been interviewing the workers at Jump City's morgue. This was the 3rd body found during the year that had been mutilated post mortem in the morgue. The wounds were the same. The chest ripped open, bones caved in, and the hearts missing.

Cyborg, Beastboy, and Starfire were still talking to the workers and police while Raven inspected the body. Making sure that no one was looking Raven placed her hands over the body's form, a dull aura engulfing her hands. If this was like the last 2 during the year, then this would confirm that someone or something had particular taste when it came to these bodies. Raven never liked doing this but considering the circumstances she had no choice. Raven closed her eyes as images flooded her mind. She gritted her teeth as she felt the pain of the body as well as what it experience. She pulled her hands away, almost vomiting from the images that flooded her, causing her to go into a coughing fit.

Cyborg walked over to her just as she looked up at him, her head nodding. Cyborg frowned turning to the others. Beastboy let out a deep breath that he had been holding for who knows how long as Starfire frowned in confusion.

"Well…" asked the forensic analyst, "find anything?" "More like we confirmed something." Responded Cyborg, looking back at the body. "Do you recall the last 2 bodies that we found in this fashion?" The forensic nodded. "Of course. It was the same post mortem mutilation that occurred with the others." Cyborg nodded. "right…but there is something that you guys might have missed." "what would that be?" he asked, sounding slightly offended.

"all 3 of these victims were murderers…" Raven monotoned, walking past Cyborg and the others. She needed air as well as another shower along with heavy meditation to purge the images of the murdering rapist she just invaded.

*****

Dozens of candles were lit, forming a circle in the center of the room. The light flickered against the wall silhouetting the form of a man on the opposite side of the room. The heavy clunk of his boots echoed as he approached the lit candles, a small bag in his hands, stained red with dried, coagulated blood.

_How long must we wait Timothy?_

The man frowned. "as long as I can bear this…."

A sinister voice chuckled from the darkness.

_Come now boy…..you cannot keep us at bay like this forever….sooner or later you will have to embrace us….become our vessel….only then will you realize your true potential…._

The man growled to himself, his teeth gritting. "I do not need you to survive…"

_Ah but you do….only a chosen few can wield us….countless men have died throughout time for the opportunity…and yet you reject us….you fear your potential with us….going so far as to cast yourself away from the world….away from your friends…_

The man shut his eyes tightly, his thoughts immediately coming to Raven. "silence….until I meet my end is when you will ever see this world…." He reached inside the bag, tossing it aside as he held the human heart he had stolen from the morgue.

The voice growled, the scent of an impure soul's blood arousing it.

_Very well boy…you may keep us at bay for now with your remedial treatment…but remember this Robin…Evil prevails when good men fail to act…let us hope you act soon …_

Robin stood in silence, tossing the heart into the center of the lit candles, hearing the sounds of ripping flesh as blood drops fell to the center, the heart now gone. Robin turned on heel walking out of the room, black tendrils reaching out from the darkness, extinguishing each candle, the words echoing in his mind.

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I hope this chapter meets your approval.

As always read and review!

Thanks.


	5. Chapter 5

I am so sorry this took so long.

If there is anyone still reading this story I want to thank you for being so patient.

It took me a while to figure out how this chapter would go so I apologize before hand it's it's not that good.

Either way I hope you enjoy the new installment.

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Timothy Drake, formerly known as Robin, was currently sitting in his underground lair, one that the Titans had no idea existed. He scanned his eyes over a dozen monitors each displaying different sections of Jump City. He was in a state of unrest since learning that the Titans had made a connection to the desecration of the corpses in the morgue. He sighed.

' this is going to be a lot more difficult…' he thought. 'I'm going to have to make sure I don't run into them if I'm to keep this under control any longer….'

_Or_…the voice chimed in, _You can simply embrace the gift we offer_…

Timothy growled. 'it's not a gift, it's a curse….'

Timothy stood up, walking away from the monitors and into the adjacent room. He punched in a few keys on the keypad that was attached to the wall, watching as a hidden door opened. He stepped into the room grabbing random articles of clothing, frowning. 'This has to be the last time….if I can pull this off I'll at least have enough to last me for the following 3 months… '

Timothy donned himself in tattered clothing, his utility belt hidden under the layers of shredded rags that made up his shirt. He put on a worn brown hat while wrapping a scarf over his nose, covering his mouth and chin. He put on a brown knee length coat and looked at himself in a mirror. To any stranger, the Boy Wonder would now look like nothing more than a vagrant wandering downtown. Timothy nodded before putting his old mask on, and over that a pair of sunglasses, intent on hiding his eyes from the world.

The manhole cover on the corner of 5th street and Sunset Blvd opened as the disguised Timothy Drake climbed out of the sewer. Timothy placed the manhole cover back, his eyes scanning the area. After a few seconds he broke into a sprint, running into the nearest alley. Timothy ran across the wet asphalt before leaping onto a trash bin, running across the lid before jumping up and grabbing the fire escape. He climbed up the fire escape until he reached the rooftop of the building, breaking out into another run.

Timothy ran across the rooftops, leaping over the gaps in between the buildings in an acrobatic display, never losing his speed. After leaping off of the third building he landed in a roll before coming to a stop. His breath came out in short even bursts. His eyes scanned the rooftop looking for any signs of life. After asserting himself that the coast was clear he sighed in relief, walking over to the vents. He grabbed both sides of the screen pulling it off with ease, setting it to the side.

Timothy pushed aside the shredded fabrics of his shirt revealing his utility belt. He took out a grappling hook securing it to the rim of the vent before pulling the cord, tightening it. He looked around once more before making his descent into the vent.

Cyborg noticed the flashing red screen on the Titan computer, the satellite feed homing in on the location of a morgue on the other side of town. Cyborg narrowed his eyes. 'looks like the mystery guest dropped in' he thought. Within moments Cyborg sent out a message on all communicators to converge on the scene. Whoever the "heart snatcher" was, he was going to receive a midnight greeting.

Timothy sneaked through the halls, moving stealthily to avoid the night watchman. He hid behind a protruding column, his eyes closing as he smelled the air. Once again he was able to pick up a distinct scent that made his blood stir. It was the same sensation every time he did this. He peeked out of the column before breaking into a sprint, clearing the hallway before coming to the storage room. Timothy inhaled once more closing in on the scent. He stopped before one of the containers, the scent coming to him in full force.

He opened the container pulling out the platform that held a corpse. He unzipped the body bag revealing a woman in her mid 30s, completely nude with long gashes covering her wrists and inner forearms. Timothy leaned in closer to the body, taking in the scent before his eyes were clouded with visions of the young woman. He saw her slash her own wrists but not before drowning her infant child in a tub of water filled with ice.

Timothy pulled away in disgust from what he saw. She was a murderer who committed suicide as a means to escape her life imprisonment. His eyes burned in silent rage at the thought of what the woman had committed. He reached out towards the back of his utility belt, unfastening a curved knife that had an edge no thicker than that of a scalpel.

Without hesitation, Timothy had cut down the center of her chest, cutting through the tissue and bone of her breastplate, making a perfect incision. He pried apart the breast plate, splitting open her chest, ignoring the blood that was now flowing out. He reached into the body prying out the woman's heart his eyes flashing a dull yellow. Quickly he placed the heart inside a plastic bag, placing that same bag into a sack strapped to him. Timothy then pushed the body back inside the container, closing the door, using the nearby sink and towels to wash off the blood that had managed to get on him. Quickly, he made his way back to the vent he entered from.

Timothy barely managed to dodge the sonic blast that now demolished the vent as he rolled to the side, regaining his footing. Cyborg stood before him arm outstretched with the cannon aimed at his head. Beastboy, in the form of a cheetah bared his sharp teeth while Starfire floated behind him her eyes glowing as she charged her fists with the energy rivaling that of the stars. Raven floated next to Cyborg but strangely she didn't appear to be ready for combat. Though her body language suggested she was on guard, her eyes held a look of curiosity and wonder.

"Don't move man" Cyborg stated his eyes locked onto Timothy's hidden ones, "you are coming with us…crippled or walking, your choice." Timothy slowly raised his hands, appearing to surrender before flicking his wrist, a flash bomb flying out of his sleeve and detonating. Cyborg fired on impulse but Timothy easily dodged the attack before breaking into a run. Beastboy recovered more quickly than the others and ran after him, Starfire following suit as her eyebeams kept missing their target by mere inches. Raven managed to shield her eyes before the blast and took off into the sky, using her empathic abilities to try to pick up on this stranger. Cyborg finally recovered before breaking into a run, the T-car below navigating through the streets to follow suit.

Timothy jumped over the building gap, landing in a roll without missing a step, his speed maintained as he outmaneuvered his former teammates. Beastboy sprinted after him but Timothy simply leaped, dodged, and sidestepped every time Beastboy had a chance to pounce. At the same time Starfire tried to keep up but even her eye beams were being dodged. Timothy leaped over, went through, or under the many obstacles in his way while maintaining his speed. To an outsider it would be as if watching an expert parkour practitioner at the peak of his performance. Timothy came upon an air conditioning unit on the roof only to outstretch himself over it, mimicking a cat's movement as it leaps over a railing, and landed cleanly on his two feet. Beastboy followed suit in the same movement as Starfire followed from the air. Timothy jumped onto another rooftop, sliding along the sheet metal roof, leaping off of it to grab the wire from a crane that overlooked a building under construction. With that same momentum, Timothy swung himself into the 5th floor, landing in a roll before concealing himself behind a pillar, his mind hard at work to try to think of a way to escape.

Timothy heard the thuds as both Beast boy and Starfire landed on the fifth floor, Cyborg landing a floor beneath them. Timothy cursed to himself.

'Damn it…' he thought, 'Cyborg's below to cut off my exit and these two are going to try to take me down..' timothy played out the scenario in his mind, attacking them only to have Cybrog break through from below on his jet boots and cut him off. Timothy reached into his belt, withdrawing a long cord from the back pocket while wrapping it around both of his hands, leaving a loose strand hanging in between them. 'If I'm going to escape…I'm going to have to take them down one at a time….' Moving as silently as possible, Timothy crept through the shadows of the building, his eyes locked onto both Starfire and Beastboy.

Raven floated above the top floor of the unfinished building, her body surrounded in a black aura which blended her perfectly into the night sky. She had seen the chase that this man had led her teammates on and she would have followed suit but a familiar feeling stopped her. She sensed a very faint connection to this man and although she would be reprimanded, decided to follow her instincts, observing the man's movements. She recognized one in particular, the cat like movement over the Ac unit a few rooftops over. It reminded her of a mission In which Robin used that same movement to tackle her and get her away from an energy blast from one of Slade's robots. She frowned.

'who is this guy….could it be…'

She shook her head and descended into the building, following her hunch that maybe, just maybe, there was more to this person.

Beastboy and Starfire passed a pillar finding no trace of the individual. Even with Beastboy's animal senses, he could not detect a scent from the guy that lead him here.

"we should split up star, you take the west end and I'll meet you back on the next floor." Starfire nodded and took flight to the west end. Beastboy continued in his normal form sniffing the air for any trace while his eyes scanned the floor for tracks. He was passing the pillars near the edge of the building before feeling a sharp pain on the back of his neck. His body froze the moment of impact, his eyes rolled back as all feeling left his extremities and within seconds he was unconscious.

Timothy caught Beastboy before he hit the ground, lowering him gently while checking his pulse. It was faint compared to his usual pulse BUT he was breathing. 'Sorry Beastboy….but I can't have you or starfire on my tail…you'll be ok within 15 minutes….' He thought.

Carefully, Timothy hugged the walls, blending into the darkness as he searched for Starfire. He reached into his coat pulling out a dart with a syringe needle pointing out from the tip. A clear liquid was slowly seepig out of the needle as he grasped it firmly. He took a few deep breaths, evening out his body while opening himself to his surroundings. He felt a slight change in the air before feeling a slight gust of wind come from his right side. In an instant Timothy threw the dart in the wind's direction, the needle colliding with Starfire's neck. She stumbled to the ground pulling out the dart which was now empty. Her movements became sluggish as her vision became blurry. Within seconds the sleep agent coursed through her system, leaving her unconscious. Timothy stepped out of the shadows, carrying her unconscious form to a safer location. He set her down and began walking towards the stairs.

'Time to make my escape' he thought.

Suddenly the stairs exploded, sending chunks of concrete in all directions, Timothy brining the tattered bottoms of his coat over his body somewhat shielding his from the dust and slabs of concrete. He looked back to see the half man-half machine standing at the foot of what used to be steps. His face held a fierce look, as Timothy stared him down.

"so you're the one desecrating those bodies eh?" Cyborg boomed, as he charged up his cannon, "well it ends here. You're coming with me" Timothy narrowed his eyes, cracking his neck to release all tension. Cyborg aimed the cannon directly at the stranger's head. "Don't be stupid now…just take it nice and e-" a gas pellet exploded in front of Cyborg's face, cutting off his sentence and sending him into a coughing fit. Timothy had already started running to gain some ground between himself and his former teammate. Cyborg held his breath as his cybernetic eye switched to infrared, catching a glimpse of the stranger turning the corner. Immediately Cyborg took off in pursuit, setting his cannon to stun and shooting at the heat signature. Timothy broke into another sprint, barely dodging the beam aimed at his head.

Cyborg amped up the power to his boots, powering his sprint. Timothy could feel Cyborg at his heels but knew that while Cyborg could be faster he was not more agile. Timothy turned the corner leading to a maze of beams and steel rods. Without losing speed, Timothy leaped, bounded, maneuvered himself in and around the beams. Cyborg gritted his teeth in frustration as he charged forward through the beams, crashing through them and flinging them out of his way, losing speed in the process. Frustrated, Cyborg began firing wild shots at the retreating form, hoping to at least stun the guy before being able to capture him.

Timothy slid under a beam before it was blasted away by Cyborg's blast. Timothy turned angrily at his assailant. 'Enough of this!' he thought while reaching behind his back. Quickly he threw several discs above Cyborg's head, the discs exploding on contact with the ceiling. Dust and rubble tumbled down on top of Cyborg, effectively trapping him. A steel beam crashed down onto his sonic cannon, pinning his only weapon to the ground. Timothy smirked before taking off, hearing Cyborg curse after him.

Timothy managed to reach the bottom level of the construction building. He was about to step outside before cinderblocks came crashing through the glass of the first floor. Timothy dodged the blocks while using his coat to shield himself from the glass. He looked outside and saw Raven hovering in between two bulldozers, an arsenal of cinder blocks, shovels, and other tools floating around her encased in dark energy. Timothy cursed inwardly. 'Great…now I have her to deal with.' Before he could formulate a plan, a sharp pain shot through Timothy's body. He clutched his chest as his breathing suddenly turned ragged. His vision began to blur, clouding into darkness. His eyes widened and for the first time in a long time, he felt panic.

'No…" he thought as he clutched the spot over his heart. 'It's too soon…I had more time!'

_Sorry Timothy_…said the voice, now much louder than before, _You put us at bay long enough. It is time we took over for once…especially with the half breed here!_

Before he could protest Timothy collapsed onto the floor, his body as stiff as a corpse. The glasses fell off to the side, showing a reflection of his face, now with 2 eerie glowing yellow eyes.

Raven floated over towards where the cinder blocks crashed before halting herself. A sharp pain crossed her mind. She clutched her head in pain as the feeling increased. A strange feeling of submission and fear shot through her like never before.

'What is this? Why am I feeling this?' she thought. Before she could think any further, a small blast from within the building sent her back, the shockwave knocking her to the ground. She propped herself up looking at the mysterious figure that now walked out of the building. The figure was slightly hunched over, cloaked in the shadows of the building. She saw a distinct pair of yellow eyes looking in her direction. Suddenly, dark tendrils shot out from the figure shattering the surrounding lights, covering them both in darkness. She paled at the sight of the figure approaching her. Raven's blood ran cold as she felt the presence of the figure pulsating with raw energy. She never felt anything like it, her demonic blood bowing in submission, fear, amazement and for some odd reason arousal.

The figure stood before her, its eyes a golden yellow. The bottom of his coat flowed as an unusual wind surrounded him, as if the darkness came alive in it's presence. Without warning dark tendrils shot out from the figure, wrapping tightly around Raven's body, pinning her arms to her sides. Raven couldn't move not only from the binds but from the raw power the figure emanated from itself in effect immobilizing her. She felt a dark tendril slither up her thigh, across her waist, up her spine, before resting along the side of the neck. The tendril's tip erupted into a mouth lined with razor sharp teeth. The mouth bit down on the flesh of her neck. Raven began to feel dizzy as she felt her consciousness slip away. The mouth that bit her was sedating her. She looked up at the figure, watching a dark portal open behind it as the figure removed the scarf.

"..Robin.." she uttered before losing consciousness.

_Not tonight my dear_… said Timothy as he scooped her in his arms, stepping into the dark portal and vanishing into the darkness of the night.

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Well that's it for now.

I hope this chapter renews interest in the story. I know it's rushed but hey this needed an update. As always leave a review.


	6. Chapter 6

Here is the latest installment for anyone still reading this story. I know the delay was prolonged and for that my apologies. I hope this chapter makes up for it. And for the genius who kept disparaging the story over my choice of using Timothy Drake and the color of his eyes, I suggest you use spell check and check your sentence structure before attempting to insult someone. If you can't understand what I'm saying, use a dictionary. Thank you.

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Raven's eyes fluttered open, the scent of burning sage filling her nostrils. Her head ached as her eyes were adjusting to the darkness, illuminated by a few candles spread throughout the room. She sat up fully taking in her surroundings. She was on a mattress in the middle of the room, a silver tray with a burning piece of sage in the corner of the room, and by all appearances still alive. Though her last recollection was one of a demonic looking Robin staring down at her, she knew she was alive. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good to see you awake…"

Raven's eyes darted to the source of the sound. Robin emerged from a dark corner of the room. Raven hadn't even noticed him. The heavy clunk of his boots echoed with each step as he walked towards her, his now long hair cascading over his eyes. From what she saw, it now reached his lower back. He stopped in front of her, kneeling down to see her eye to eye. Raven's own violet eyes widened as she gazed into his lightly golden ones, which now slowly faded back to a two-toned gaze, one eye a deep inviting brown, the other a fierce emerald green.

"…I suppose an explanation is in order. However let's make one thing clear Raven, whatever you saw, and whatever you heard, it was solely within the confines of your mind and does not exist elsewhere." Raven held his gaze, a retort on her lips, but she held her tongue knowing that as much as she would like to say something, he had respected her privacy in the past, even with the bond. She could only do the same out of courtesy. She nodded.

"Good." Robin stood up about to leave before Raven stopped him. "Wait," she started, "just answer me this…did you kill those people?" Robin pressed his lips for a moment, leaning in close to her.

"No…I did not kill them…but the deaths were necessary." Robin removed his hand, walking to the doorway. "Feel free to leave the room if you like, I'm going to go take a shower…" he said before shutting the door behind him. Raven sat silently, contemplating her options. Should she call the others? Try to take Robin on her own? Should she not say a word? All of them would have made sense but she felt a strong pull to be near Robin, to not leave. She cursed silently and stood up making her way to the door. Her instincts were never wrong and this time they could prove to be more than even she could handle.

Raven looked around the vast space upon exiting the room, which, from what she could tell, was underground, and from what she assumed, was Robin's new home. It was almost like an underground loft. A kitchen area, bathroom, and in the far corner a giant computer screen displaying various points of the city. The steam from the bathroom seeped from beneath the door at the far end of the area. Raven took in her surroundings, making notes on all exit points before walking to the kitchen area. She found a bottle of water in the fridge and slowly drank.

'What the hell am I getting myself into…' she thought. She kept replaying what happened the night before over and over again. That power that emerged from Robin was very, very familiar. That was the key. She knew that all demons shared a connection to the darkness of the world. Even her powers were an extension of it. But Robin's display was a more powerful and purer form of her powers. No, that wasn't right. Her powers were a form of It. A derivative of sorts. She clutched her head. She was still reeling from last night. At that point Robin entered the room, dressed in black jeans and a loose black shirt. His hair cascaded down his back in long tendrils as well as along his face. He walked past Raven to the fridge taking out another bottle of water, taking a quick gulp before putting it back. He turned to Raven, his mouth opening then closing, as if contemplating what to say.

After a few minutes of silence he broke it. "so…what have you figured out?"

Raven bit her lip, her eyes locking on his. "…if I had to guess…I would say that you are something like me….that display from last night….it felt similar to my own ability….but mine felt more of a derivative of yours. Which would mean that you have something that is purer than my own." Robin smiled almost sadly. "…there in lies the problem Raven…this is something that even I don't fully understand. What you saw was a slip of the little control I have." Robin grimaced slightly, as if suppressing a headache. A cold chill ran along Raven's spine. She shuddered at the sensation then felt a smooth object run along her skin. Turning on instinct while backing into Robin, Raven gasped as the darkness around the room expanded around the kitchen. She didn't even notice it due to the low lighting. A dark smoky tendril moved in the air softly before retreating into a shadowy corner of the room away from light then suddenly dissipating into nothing. She turned to Robin, who's eyes were now closed and clearly bleeding. He opened them a moment later, a flicker of gold running across his two toned gaze.

He breathed a sigh of relief once his natural eye color returned. "sorry…" he said, wiping the blood from his eyes, "it's gotten harder since I lost control." Raven walked up to him, grabbing a nearby rag gently wiping his eyes. "What was that Robin?" Raven maintained her neutral look but on the inside her very being was shaking, though on the outside her cheeks were flushed. That same presence had stirred all of her emotions, even arousal. Robin looked up, a far away look in his eyes. "it already knows that you know Raven…you've come across it in your books…it's the origin of it all…" Raven frowned, digging through the memories of her reading to try to find what he was talking about before Robin interrupted.

"it's time for you to go Raven. I can only hope that my trust in you is not misplaced." With that he gently took of hold of her shoulders before pushing her back, her body engulfed in shadows before dissipating into the air, revealing her new location: her own room. Raven stood bewildered. Now Robin had the ability to teleport? Raven closed her eyes trying to make a connection through their mind link only to feel that same energy block her attempts. After a few failed attempts she finally stopped and made a beeline to her bookcase, her telekinetic powers pulling her entire library out. The books floated quickly around her as a miniature tornado, her eyes closed and focused on feeling a familiar presence within the pages. Every book told a story and one of them Had to tell Robins. Before long the books dropped to the floor one by one until only one was left floating in front of her. She reached out to it as her hand glowed, the pages turning themselves rapidly, her mind racing until suddenly the familiar emotion hit her and the pages stopped. She opened her eyes and gasped. It couldn't be but then it had to be it!

The right side of the page was covered with images of black serpent-like creatures sprouting from a central figure while other creatures that resembled imps surrounded the bottom portion of the page. A full moon illuminated the shadow of the central figure, which resembled the shape of a human man. The creatures had golden yellow eyes, including the man himself. The left side of the page was written in Latin but Raven translated the title immediately: "Obscuritas" the "Darkness."

Raven sat down on the floor, the book now in her hands as she read the page. "The Darkness, the force of chaos and creation that has existed since the dawn of time. The essence of life comes from the aspects of both the positive and negative energies that are both forever in balance and forever in battle. As there can be no Light without Darkness, there can be no Darkness without Light. Only the souls that are deemed worthy by these energies will be granted the fruits that they bear, dominion over all the negative energies of the living world and the world beyond it. But as with all things there is a price to be paid. The souls that wield these powers must be wary, for as with the passing of time, all things must end and so as the Darkness was there at the beginning, it shall also be there at the soul's end, the mortal becoming a part of the Darkness itself."

Raven paled as she read the last sentence. Her former leader, a symbol that stood for good, was now under the control of the most malevolent entity in existence. The energy that spawned everything evil in the world; vampires, demons, witch breed, everything! She reread the page over and over again. There was nothing that indicated how or why the Darkness would choose Robin nor was there any indication that the Darkness could be removed. 'How could there be information?' she thought, 'This was supposed to be a myth, not even the people of Azarath believed in this, hell not even Trigon!' She recalled her memories and indeed no one on Azarath, not even her Demon King Father believed that their heritage came from this energy. But now she knew.

She closed her book, her mind deep in thought. 'so now he's the bad guy…..what happens now? Do I let the others know? Do I stay silent?' She contemplated her dilemma. After a few moments she sighed, floating the book back to the shelf along with the others. 'I can't turn my back on him,' she thought, 'bad guy or not, I owe Robin this much.' With her decision made Raven teleported to the Main room at the tower.

By the time she appeared Cyborg and the others had entered the room, surprised and relieved at seeing her. "Raven!" they cried before Starfire came forth giving her friend a crushing hug. "Oh dear Raven we all thought the worst! We searched for you and could not find any sign of your whereabouts!" she cried. Raven gently pried herself away from the Tamaranean. "I'm fine Starfire, now please loosen your grip" she replied in monotone. Beastboy then came forth giving her a gentle hug as well. "good to know you're ok Raven' he replied with genuine relief. She petted Beastboy's head softly. "I'm fine Beastboy." Cyborg approached her last, giving her a brotherly welcome. "good to have you back Rae, we nearly lost hope." She smiled at Cyborg returning the hug. "Thank you Cyborg" she replied, maintaining her monotone voice, knowing full well what was coming next. "Raven did you see any sign of the guy from the morgue? We lost his trail back at the construction site."

Raven furrowed her brow deep in thought while mentally calming her body's senses. She knew Cyborg's reputation for being a living lie detector and played the part as to not arouse suspicion. "No Cyborg," she replied after a moment, "I came to here at the tower, I think before I blacked out from the battle I teleported here on instinct." Cyborg took her answer at face value and headed to the computer, his right index finger opening at the tip and connecting to the USB drive.

"I'm uploading every detail from my encounter with that guy, if there is anything the computer can look up that might lead to his identity we'll find it. The rest of you rest up and we will go over the data in the morning." With that Starfire and Beastboy took their leave, Cyborg following soon after. Raven retreated to her room after shutting off the lights in the common room. She lied down on her bed, her body now relaxing for the first time in 24 hours. She stared at the ceiling, her thoughts wandering towards Robin and what he has become.

_This is becoming more of a hindrance than usual Timothy_ , said the voice. _You are slowly losing your grip on us and the longer you fight the more we will lash out until we get what we require. _"But you already took what you need!" Tim replied, anger in his voice. "What more could you possibly want?"

_We want to be free!_ The voice hissed, _and that only happens when you either accept us or we take over!_

"If you took over, my soul would be lost to you and even if I accepted you, I would still lose whatever is left of my humanity." _Ah decisions decisions boy_, the voice hissed, _you cannot win this fight. Sooner or later we will be the ones pulling the strings. No mortal has ever succeeded in controlling us. You will fall as they did. _

"Maybe…" Timothy said, while reaching into the sack by his side, "but for now I can control you ." With that Timothy tossed the blood soaked heart he acquired that night into the darkest corner of the room, several black tendrils latching onto it and ripping it to shreds, leaving no trace of the heart to fall on the floor.

_We will require more than this Timothy….that slip up has only bought you 30 days. And even so, that is under the condition that you keep control…something you have been having difficulty with. _The voice mocked, it's sinister chuckle echoing through the room. Timothy clenched his jaw, frustration evident on his face. "I'll do what it takes." He replied, exiting the room and shutting the door behind him. A sudden wind picked up in his room and he turned, his fists clenched and his form falling into a defensive stance only for him to relax to his normal posture, Raven now filling his vision as she stepped out of the teleportation portal she had conjured, which had faded upon her exit.

"welcome back Rae…" Timothy stated.

"Cut the formalities Boy Wonder," she retorted, her visage curled in frustration. "because of that little incident back at the morgue, you are now the Teen Titans priority target, even above Slade!"

Robin shrugged his shoulders. "it was bound to happen sooner or later" he replied calmly. "and because it has I'm now stuck with either fulfilling my duty as a Titan and turning you in or like you, have to go rogue and help you in some way….but even I don't know how." Timothy ran a hand through his hair. "I take it you've done some research on the Darkness?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes I have, and like its namesake, there is nothing good that comes from it. Not even a way to get rid of it."

Timothy sat on an old sofa, his eyes drawn to the ceiling. "…I had hoped there would be…but I guess there goes that"

Raven walked up to him, standing in front of his seated form before leaning down, her arms planked on either side of his head as his own eyes moved up to meet hers.

"Do you even know what can happen to you? What this thing can result in?" she asked. But she didn't need an answer. The look in his eyes told her everything. Raven eyes widened and now Robin knew that she knew his time was coming to an end. They stayed in silence for a few moments, Raven absorbing this information as Robin could only accept the fact that he was beyond hope.

"…I'm sorry Rae…" he spoke softly.

Raven kept her eyes on him and without having to think, leaned closer and touched her lips against his tenderly, gently breaking away.

"….shut up robin…..just….shut up…" she whispered before kissing him once more, her arms wrapping around his neck as she straddled his lap, while Robin's arms gently snaked themselves around her waist, their bodies coming closer together, giving each other comfort.

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Next chapter might be the lemon aspect of this story but I'm still debating it. Any thoughts would be welcome.


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